Monday, June 2, 2014

Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

Due the girls and I having been sick the past couple of weeks, I have had to move a few Feature Friday posts out. While we are still sit with head colds on top of dealing with allergies, I have found some time to finally get these reviews up. The first Feature Friday, that is better late and never is about the Ivy Kids Kits, a monthly subscription for children ages 3-8, created by mom, Taseea Cruz. If you missed my Spotlight on Mom interview with Taseea, you can read it here: http://www.inspiredbysavannah.com/2014/05/spotlight-on-mom-taseea-cru-of-ivy-kids.html.

I have been a fan of monthly subscription boxes for adults, usually ordering different food and crafted related ones. But, now more and more businesses are popping up that offer monthly boxes especially for children. A recent search led me to Taseea Cruz's website, where I learned about her Ivy Kids Kits. And, after reaching out to inquire about her participation in my Spotlight on Mom feature, Taseea was kind enough to send along her July and August kits for the girls to try out.

After having tried out a few different monthly boxes for kids, Taseea's Ivy Kids Kits blew me away. They were packed with so many fun activities for the girls to do, and I loved how each kit included personalized activities and a special gift (your child will receive a personalized gift when you order a 6 month subscription or longer). Little details like this really make a product stand out.

Taseea's activity kits for kids really stand out from the crowd, and will have your child asking you to sign them up for a continued membership. And, you will not hesitate, as you will find the educational value to be worth it. :-)

"I want parents to feel that they are getting their money's worth with our comprehensive and personalized kits that are made with lots of TLC from myself and the other teachers/moms on the Ivy Kids team. My goal is that children will enjoy and use their Ivy Kit for the entire month as well as for years to come. Usually only 6 month subscriptions contain a personalized activity or item for the child, however, currently we are offering personalized lvy Kits for all subscription orders placed before June 22nd."

Here is a sneak peek into the upcoming July Ivy Kids Kit (which one lucky reader will win this and the August kit; scroll down to learn more and enter this giveaway now). Just look at all the fun activities your child will be sent to do in this frog themed box.

"Each month the child will receive a kit containing a classic book and over ten fun-filled activities based upon the story and characters. Ivy Kits are a great resource for busy parents and caregivers looking for creative ways to spend quality time with their children while also helping them build important foundational skills in math, literacy, and science. Each kit is packed with activities and contains personalized items/activities for the child."

In total, the July kit includes over 10 fun-filled activities, many of which has different variations to them, so that they could be played with over and over again, without getting bored.

First, you and your child will start off by reading the book, "Jump, Frog, Jump!. There is also a bookmark included that gives questions to ask your child, depending on their age, about the story.

I love being able to ask comprehensive questions like these, to gauge what the girls are picking up, lessons they learn from a particular story, and their ability to retell a condensed version of the story in their words, or talk about a favorite part. If you follow my blog on a regular basis, then you know how much I love sharing reviews on children's books and find reading to your child as a great bonding experience, as well as educational beneficially. So, I loved seeing a book and questions activity tied into Taseea's Ivy Kids Kits.

Another fun tie-in to the story is the use of stick puppets to bring the story to life.

As I read through the pages of this cute story, Savannah would pick up the different characters or objects and pretend to move them around, acting out the story that she heard me tell. This added a new dimension onto reading with her, and really got her excited about the story. While she cannot read yet, she felt like a big girl, helping me act out the scenes. :-)

Other fun frog themed activities found in the upcoming July Ivy Kids Kit include the following...

Again, you are provided with all the necessary supplies to complete each fun-filled activity

Create a habitat for frogs with the above bag of supplies, while learning fun facts about them.

This was Savannah's favorite activity of the whole box. She loved trying to pick up the different insects and putting them in the frog's mouth, which she created using a plastic cup and construction paper body parts (included in the kit).

To make this game fun and engaging for children of varying ages, Taseea included different game instructions based on a child's age. I ended up having Savannah roll the dice, telling me the number that she rolled and then had her count out loud as she picked up and dropped each insect into the frog cup. This activity helped reinforce her counting and number recognition skills.

Who doesn't like a fun sing-a-long song? Included in July's kit is a song about frog and these cute finger puppets that your child can put on their fingers, as you count from 5 to 1 in a catchy song. After a few times of repeating the song, Savannah was able to get it down pat.

Now, I find her singing the song to Bella, as she waves the frog finger puppets along, trying to reinforce counting and subtraction with her little sister. :-)

While I was a fan of the storybook activity, this was my next favorite activity, where both of my daughters had a blast with. Who knew that lily pad hopping in the living room could be so much fun. I ended up making up different activities to utilize these foam lily pad cutouts with numbers ranging from 0 to 9. Don't you love it when you are given supplies for games and activities, but can also get creative and come up with "new" ways to utilize them with your child? I sure do!

Other fun games included in the Frog themed Ivy Kids Kit for July, that will provide hours of enjoyment for children, time and again, are...

Letter Jump - make the frogs jump to the lily pads and play different letter games

Race to the Pond Game - get the frogs to the pond and collect insects along the way

What child doesn't like to do a fun arts and crafts project? Check out the cute frog paper bag puppet your child will create with the help of a glue stick, giggly eyes and body part cutouts...

Once down, you can use this frog puppet for fun storytelling. My girls had a blast making up their own stories about a frog, and putting on a puppet show for my husband and I.

Do you have more than one child in your home? Not to worry as Taseea offers a sibling add-on kit that you can add to your monthly subscription, which will include the same activities so that you children can each do their own fun arts and crafts projects. Note that games are not duplicated in the sibling kit. You just get kits for the art projects.

And, if I wasn't impressed enough with the July Ivy Kids Kit, like I said earlier, Taseea also included the upcoming August kit, which has a mouse theme to it, for the girls and I to enjoy. Here is a sneak peek into this box...

Again, you will find a wonderful assortment of art projects, games, storytelling props and more, created for children ages 3-8 yrs. old to enjoy in each month's Ivy Kids Box, that kids will love.

Savannah's favorites of the August Mouse-themed box included the "Create Your Own Mouse Sun Catcher," which Taseea had personalized with her name, along with the fun color paddle exploration where my girls learned about combing two colors to make another color. "Pretty cool," Savannah kept saving for this activity. :-)

I can't stop raving about this new monthly subscription service, which will begin in July, and created by a talented mom, Taseea Cruz, with family and friends. And, I will definitely be signing up to continue receiving these monthly kits for the girls and I to enjoy. I don't know who is more excited to see what fun themes are to come in the upcoming moms, the girls or I. All I know is that the girls will have a blast doing each activity, while learning at the same time. :-) Can't get any better than that!

--BUY NOW--

If you have children or even grandchildren ages 3-8 yrs. old, why not order them a Ivy Kids Kit to try out. You can buy an individual month's kit, or sing up for a 3- or 6-month subscription.

And, just for Inspired by Savannah readers, make sure you use coupon code "IVYLAUNCH" at checkout to receive $5 off a monthly or 3 monthly subscription or $10 off a 6-month subscription. Act fast, as this coupon code is only valid for a limited time!

Click here to pre-order an Ivy Kids Kit now -- www.ivy-kids.com. Kits will start shipping out in July, with the theme being frogs, as talked about above.

I can't wait to hear what you and your child(ren) think of the Ivy Kids Kit from mom entrepreneur, Taseea Cruz. So, make sure you head back here and share your comments, as well as visit the Ivy Kids Kit Facebook Fan page to leave some love for Taseea. :-)

--GIVEAWAY--

I am so excited to offer one lucky reader the chance to win the July and August IvyKits (Retail value of $77.90), to share with their child(ren). To enter, please complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!